A US judge has temporarily blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to deport dozens of unaccompanied Guatemalan children back to their home country.
District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan's order on Sunday was in response to reports children had been put onto planes and were about to be sent to Guatemala, where lawyers argued they would be at risk of abuse and persecution.
The children arrived in the US alone and are in government custody while their immigration claims are assessed.
Lawyers for the US justice department said the children were not being deported, but rather repatriated so they could be reunited with family.
The legal proceedings were sparked early on Sunday when immigrant advocacy groups asked for an emergency injunction, claiming around 600 children could be put on planes in Texas and deported.
Judge Sooknanan then issued a temporary restraining order barring officials from sending a group of 10 migrant children between the ages of 10 and 17 to Guatemala.
At a hastily arranged hearing on Sunday afternoon, Judge Sooknanan, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, expanded the order to cover all unaccompanied children said to be at risk of deportation. The order will be in place for 14 days.
When asked at the hearing, Judge Sooknanan sought assurances from Trump administration lawyers that planes had not already departed with the children on board.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign stated that all airplanes were "on the ground" in the US. He noted that one plane may have taken off but had returned.
Ensign mentioned the flights were not part of a deportation effort but rather for family reunifications with relatives in Guatemala.
In court filings, lawyers for the children argued that the action violated federal laws designed to protect children arriving in the US alone. They raised concerns that some children had pending cases before immigration judges and expressed credible fears about being returned.
Efrén C Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center, which filed the suit, condemned the administration's actions, stating, In the dead of night on a holiday weekend, the Trump administration ripped vulnerable, frightened children from their beds and attempted to return them to danger in Guatemala.
White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller criticized the judge for blocking the flights, asserting that the minors had self-reported their parents were back home in Guatemala.
Since the commencement of his second term, Trump has initiated robust efforts to expel undocumented migrants, fulfilling a key campaign promise aimed at securing voter support.
In June, the US Supreme Court allowed Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland, eliminating their chance to present potential risks they might face upon return.
